This invention is directed to a shredder machine and more particularly to a shredder machine having a device for preventing a fire in a shredder used particularly for shredding oil filters.
Heretofore shredding machines have been used for shredding oil filters in which there was a possibility of a fire due to sparks caused by metal pieces in which the sparks were sufficient to set the surface oil on fire. Such a machine is a machine model 3800 manufactured by American Pulverizer Company, 5540 West Park Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. 63110. This machine has a container at ground level in which the oil filters are initially placed. The oil filters are then raised by a conveyor from which the oil filters are dropped into a receiving container. The oil filters are then fed into a shredder which shreds the oil filters to separate the metal pieces from the paper of which the oil filter is made. The shredder reduces the metal and paper to small fragments. In order to insure that all of the metal and paper has been reduced to small fragments, the reduced fragments are then conveyed to a second shredder by use of a conveyor. The fragments are dropped into a second shredder which then insures that the metal and paper are reduced to smaller fragments. The first reduced fragments pass through the second shredder which reduces the metal and paper to small fragments. The smaller fragments fall onto an end of a conveyor at the bottom of the shredder. The smaller metal fragments are separated from the paper fragments by use of a magnet which attracts the metal pieces. The paper fragments are conveyed to a waste paper receptacle and the metal fragments are conveyed to a separate receptacle. In this way, the metal and paper fragments are separated from each other.
While the oil filters are shredded, most of the residual oil will flow to a lower part of the machine into a receptacle to draw out of the first shredder. The oil is then fed away to a receiver where it is reclaimed. Since the oil filter is made of metal parts and paper, some of the oil will be carried along with the fragments and will coat the surfaces of the second shredder. There is a possibility of a fire being initiated in the second shredder; therefore, a fire prevention means has been added to the outlet of the second shredder.